Liverpool defender Andrew Robertson was recently appointed captain of the team and should lead them out on Monday. Tom Cairney, Jack Hendry, Oliver McBurnie and Matt Phillips are ruled out due to injury.

Albania will be without a number of players, including Odise Roshi, Akhmat Grozny, Armando Sadiku and Eros Grezda, but they will be able to call upon a number of Serie A regulars, such as Lazio goalkeeper Thomas Strakosha, Napoli full-back Elseid Hysaj and Atalanta centre-back Berat Djimsiti. Basel star Taulant Xhaka, brother of Arsenal midfielder Granit, is also a key member of the squad.

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Negativity has surrounded the Scottish national team for quite some time now and things have not really picked up much in that regard since McLeish succeeded Gordon Strachan earlier this year.

Defeats to Costa Rica, Peru, Mexico and Belgium - albeit in friendly games - have done little to encourage supporters that things are going to be radically different under the 59-year-old, but the game against Albania is an opportunity to get off on the right foot.

“This is it for real now," McLeish told reporters ahead of the game. "I can feel it already. I woke up on Sunday morning and said to myself: ‘This is where it really begins.’ We have done some experimenting, looking at different players and we have a big roster now should we need to call people up.

"But this is it. The guys have got to bring their best performance level on Monday night."

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The Scotland team is relatively young in profile, with just three outfield players over the age of 30, and with Liverpool star Robertson handed the captain's armband it is clear that McLeish is putting faith in youth to step up to the challenge.

However, Albania will be no pushovers and their recent record has actually been better than that of the hosts, given that they qualified for Euro 2016. Like Scotland, they finished third in their World Cup 2018 qualification group, but it is worth noting that they finished behind Spain and Italy in contrast to Scotland's rivals England and Slovakia.

With highly decorated Italy star Panucci in the dugout and a host of experienced Serie A stars in their panel, they will have no fear heading to Hampden as they look to upset the odds.